Returning home after serving World War II to run his family business in New York, a paratrooper falls in love with a young heiress and actress he meets on the State Island ferry.

A truly unprecedented literary achievement by author and editor Lawrence Block, a newly-commissioned anthology of seventeen superbly-crafted stories inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper, including Jeffery Deaver, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King, Lee Child, and Robert Olen Butler, among many others. "Edward Hopper is surely the greatest American narrative painter. His work bears special resonance for writers and readers, and yet his paintings never tell a story so much as they invite viewers to find for themselves the untold stories within." So says Lawrence Block, who has invited seventeen outstanding writers to join him in an unprecedented anthology of brand-new stories: In Sunlight or In Shadow. The results are remarkable and range across all genres, wedding literary excellence to storytelling savvy. Contributors include Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, Robert Olen Butler, Michael Connelly, Megan Abbott, Craig Ferguson, Nicholas Christopher, Jill D. Block, Joe R. Lansdale, Justin Scott, Kris Nelscott, Warren Moore, Jonathan Santlofer, Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child, and Lawrence Block himself. Even Gail Levin, Hopper’s biographer and compiler of his catalogue raisonée, appears with her own first work of fiction, providing a true account of art theft on a grand scale and told in the voice of the country preacher who perpetrated the crime. In a beautifully produced anthology as befits such a collection of acclaimed authors, each story is illustrated with a quality full-color reproduction of the painting that inspired it.

Mina was born on the longest night of the darkest month of the year. When her father looked at her, all he saw was what he feared: By birth, by name, by nature, she belonged to the Dark. So when Mina turned sixteen, her father took her away from shadow and brought her into sunlight. In retaliation, her mother lured a handsome prince into a deadly agreement: If he frees Mina, he can claim her as his bride. Now Mina and her prince must endure deadly trials -- of love and fate and family -- before they can truly live happily ever after....

In 1966 when Judy became pregnant at the age of 16, her family kept her plight a secret and was compelled to give up her daughter. Judy felt the grief and shame as a tangible lumpwithin her body and fought to keep it contained within the shadows of silence. But as an adult, she felt compelled to address the loss by searching for her birth daughter and bringing her story to light--From back cover.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder—and love grow stronger—in three romantic fairy tale retellings from the author of Once. Belle lacks her sisters’ awe-inspiring beauty, so she withdraws from society to focus on her art in Belle. But when her father is held captive by a terrifying Beast, Belle is the only one with the courage and creativity to save him...though she must first believe in herself. In Sunlight and Shadow, Princess Mina is kidnapped. Desperate to be reunited with her daughter, the Queen of the Night promises Mina’s hand in marriage to the prince who can rescue her. Yet as Mina and her prince encounter trials of love and fate, Mina must summon the strength to find her own happiness. In Winter’s Child, Grace’s best friend is lured from home by a dazzling Snow Queen. Grace sets out on a dangerous, mystical journey to find him, and along the way, she discovers the meaning of true love.